things, especially our defign of building a new tabernacle, which I hope will fucceed, detain me in town this Winter. GOD only knows what course I am to fteer in the Spring. I would be a blank;-let my heavenly Father fill it up as feemeth him good. I am glad you are with our elect Lady; fhe will fhine indeed in heaven as a common friend. O how amiable is a truly catholic fpirit! LORD, make us all partakers of it more and more! I beg the continuance of your prayers: I need them much. GOD willing, you fhall have mine in return. That you and yours may increase with all the increase of GOD, is the earnest request of, my dear friend, Yours, &c. G. W. LETTER DCCCCL. To Lady Hn. Ever-honoured Madam, WIT London, Dec. 22, 1752. ITH great pleasure I received your Ladyship's letter, which hath drawn me to the Father of Spirits, that the meek, lowly, loving, zealous, and heavenly-minded temper which was in CHRIST JESUS, may be ftamped more and more upon your Ladyfhip's heart. A growth in these bleffed graces and fruits of the divine Spirit, I am perfuaded is what your Ladyfhip defires above all things under heaven, and I doubt not but all the trials and afflictions you meet with, both from friends and foes, will be fanctified to the promoting this glorious end. Many of these I meet with; but if I come purified out of the furnace, and am at length any way conformed to my dear and bleffed Exemplar, I rejoice, yea and will rejoice. Experience, if attended with this effect, cannot be bought too dear. But alas, how unwilling is the old man to be crucified and flain! How hard is even the mind that is renewed in part, how hard to be brought off low and selfish and party views. With how much reluctance doth it give up the uppermost place, and fubmit to be accounted in the church, as well as in the world, lefs than the leaft of all. Yet this is a leffon the witneffes of JESUS muft learn. O that I had learnt only my ABC in it! I beg the continuance of your Ladyfhip's prayers, for which I thank your Ladyfhip a thousand times. VOL. II. G g May May the LORD of all lords return them seven-fold into your bofom, and give your Ladyfhip fuccefs in your endeavours to ferve the perfons mentioned in your laft! It is but for your Ladyship to try. I fhall obferve your Ladyfhip's hints about Mr. I believe our vifits will not be very frequent.But I am easy, having no scheme, no design of supplanting or resenting, but I trust a fingle eye to promote the common falvation, without fo much as attempting to fet up a party for myfelf. This is what my foul abhors. Being thus minded, I have peace; peace which the world knows nothing of, and which all must neceffarily be ftrangers to, who are fond either of power or numbers. GOD be praised for the many strippings I have met with it is good for me that I have been fupplanted, despised, censured, maligned, judged by, and separated from my nearest, dearest friends. By this I have found the faithfulness of him, who is the friend of friends; by this I have been taught to wrap myself in the glorious Emmanuel's everlasting righteoufnefs, and to be content that He, to whom all hearts are open, and all defires are known, now fees, and will let all fee hereafter, the uprightness of my intentions towards all mankind. But whither am I going? I run too faft. Your Ladyship's kind letter hath extorted this from me. I will weary your Ladyship no longer, but haften to subscribe myfelf, what I really am, ever-honoured Madam, Your Ladyfhip's most dutiful, obliged, and very chearful fervant for CHRIST's fake, G. W. LETTER DCCCCLI. My very dear Friend, WT To Mr. R London, Dec. 22, 1752. ITH great pleasure I received your kind and wishedfor letter; and heartily blefs GOD that your whole felf is in fuch comfortable circumftances, and that honest Dis fo bleft in his work. I read his two letters about ten days ago, and many joined in finging for him the following verfes : The The ifles in the North, Till thousands and thousands Do triumph through grace. Do you not think the bleffed JESUS will fay, Amen? Yes, affuredly he will. And if he will work, who fhall hinder? Thoughts are vain against the LORD; All fubferve his mighty word; Each in courfe to bring it on. Fear not, my dear Sir; if CHRIST hath work for you to do, he will put you into a proper ftation. But would you be a Nehemiah, and have no Sanballat to oppofe you? Building the walls of the New-Jerufalem, is what the profane and formalifts do not approve of. We must expect the ferpent will hifs, whenever the gospel feed of the woman is coming into a place to bruife his head. Courage, my dear Sir, courage. Gon is on your fide. The world, with fin and Satan, And fing the fong of Mofes You fee, my dear Sir, how freely I write. The love of CHRIST constraineth me. I am much indebted to you, and hope to see you in London foon. My wife longs to have you under our roof: fhe hath been ill, but bleffed be GoD is now better. We both fend cordial and grateful refpects to your whole felf and all enquiring friends. We have had moft folemn facramental occafions. I fympathize with both our fuffering friends from what unexpected quarters do troubles come! Who would fing a requiem to himself, whilst here below? LORD Gg 2 LORD GOD, prepare us for whatever thou haft prepared for us! I must bid you farewel. A variety of bufinefs obliges me to hasten to subscribe myself, Yours, &c. G. W. LETTER DCCCCLII. Honoured Madam, YOUR London, Jan. 1, 1753 "OUR Ladyfhip's kind letter hath added to the obliga tions already laid on me. I can only fay, the LORD knows that you and yours, are remembered by me before his throne. This is the reward, which the Redeemer promises to those who do good to a difciple, in the name of a disciple. O happy they who are rich in faith and good works! These are the true riches; they are durable; they follow us beyond the grave, and we fhall be reaping the fruit of them through the endless ages of eternity. Eternity! eternity! The very writing or hearing this word, is enough to make one dead to the world, and alive unto God. The LORD quicken my tardy pace! I am now thirty-eight years of age, and entering upon another new year; Alas! alas! How little have I done for that JESUS, who hath done and fuffered fo much for me! I want to begin to begin to act and preach for GOD. Bleffed be his name, that his fpirit is moving on precious fouls at Bristol. For ever adored be his rich, free, and unmerited grace, the fame may be faid of London. We have had blessed holidays, and I have had good news from the Orphan-house. A life that all things cafts behind, Springs forth obedient at his call. Had I a thousand lives, the LORD JESUS fhould have them. I wish your Ladyfhip, and honoured daughters, much of his divine love shed abroad in your hearts. That is the best new year's compliment, and the beft new year's gift. I hope, the young ladies through grace are kept unfpotted from the world. I would come and wait upon our elect Lady at Clifton, but am engaged in forwarding the building of a new tabernacle; I hope it will be accomplished, and that God's pre fence fence will fill it when erected. I could enlarge, but am called away, and therefore fubfcribe myself, Your Ladyfhip's most dutiful, obliged, and LETTER DCCCCLIII. To Mr. L My very dear Friend and Brother, G. W. London, Jan. 3, 1753. HOUGH I am very much straitened for time, yet I Tuft fit down, (fince you so earnestly defire it) and answer your kind letter. My love does not fhift with my scene of action; I would have it in fome degree, like my LORD's to me and his people, "Permanent and unchangeable." Bleffed be GOD for fuch a JESUS, who is the fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever. What can we want then? Or of whom should we be afraid? All his attributes are engaged to keep us on earth, and to fet us upon thrones in his glorious kingdom in heaven. Laft night I buried one, who I believe is feated there.-Ah lovely appearance of death! Surely my turn will come foon. I am now thirty-eight years of age; little did I think of staying in the land of the dying fo long. Well, if it be to call more fouls to the ever-loving, ever-lovely JESUS, Father, thy will be done! If thou excufe, then work thy will, By fo unfit an inftrument; And prove thy power omnipotent. I hope you have had a happy Christmas at Leeds. We have kept holidays here indeed. Sinners have been pricked to the heart, and faints refreshed in their fpirits. To the Father of fpirits be all the glory. I forgot none of you in my poor prayers fear not; let us continue to pray, and we shall always find, that our extremity will be GOD's opportunity to help and appear for us. But there must be a feeming death upon every promise. Gg 3 Where |